VARESE (Italy) - Cameroon will be playing at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup for the first time this summer, and their reward is facing the likes of basketball powers United States, France and Australia in the group stage. That is just what the Cameroonian big man Amadou Seini wants - also because the African side will be stronger than many expect.
Cameroon made history last summer when they reached the Final of the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024. It was the first time the central African country reached the podium since taking third place in 1990 - thanks to a 67-47 victory over Morocco in the Semi-Finals.
"I remember that game with a source of pride for my country as it meant Cameroon's name would be featured on the world basketball stage," said Seini, who collected 15 points, 19 rebounds and 4 blocks against Morocco.
Cameroon ended up losing 60-51 to Mali in the Final and Seini earned a spot on the All-Star Five as he finished the tournament with 12.0 points per game, a second-most 15.7 rebounds and a tournament leading 4.0 blocks. That broke the record for the most blocks per game in U18 AfroBasket history - with blocks being recorded since 2014.
Despite losing the Final, Cameroon were major winners in grabbing a spot in the U19 World Cup for the first time.
"It's true that this is Cameroon's first time participating, but Cameroon made history because our players played well for the honor of the country," Seini said.
The qualification is even bigger than that as besides the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Cameroon have never played in a global event in basketball.
"We have opportunities to get there because they have a lot of talented players. All it takes is good training and investment," said the native of Mayo Danay in the north of the country.
"We know USA are better, but it's good to face teams better than you."
Cameroon will face a major test in Lausanne, where they have been drawn into Group D along with United States, France and Australia. But Seini is not shying away from those big name opponents.
"For me, it's good to play against strong teams. There will be surprises," he said. "It's good for the world of basketball."
And when asked what he expects from taking on the record eight-time U19 world champions USA, Seini said: "We know the United States are better, but it's good to face teams better than you."
Fans looking ahead to the summer had best not take too much stock in the Cameroon team that played at the U18 AfroBasket - a team that lacked offensively firepower and averaged only 61.5 points per game.
"I''s true that we finished the U18 AfroBasket with only 61.5 points per game, but this time it won't be the same team. It will be very different," he said. "We'll be able to face strong teams."
The head coach for the Cameroon team in Switzerland will be a different one - namely Steve Tchiengang, who is an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics.
"It's good to train with a coach who has a lot of experience in addition to having coached in the NBA," Seini said. "That will make us happy."
Tchiengang, who will be assisted by the head coach from last summer Kevin Ngwese, and the rest of the federation staff went searching across the globe for other talent for the U19 World Cup, finding players in the United States, Italy, France and Germany for example on the 30-man preliminary roster.
"For now, I don't know the new players selected, but it's important that there are new ones," Seini said of the preliminary roster which has been cut to 15 players. "That should strengthen the team."
Seini himself will have a major experience to call upon - making his Cameroon senior national team debut in the November 2024 window of the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers.
"The memory I will keep from my first selection for the senior national team is the pride of playing with my older professional brothers and also the pride of my family," said Seini, who collected 1 point and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes against Gabon.
"I spent a week with them. It was really a week of experience; everything goes quickly. I read the games and gained a lot of experience with them."
Those lessons learned along with making history with the country last summer leave Amadou Seini raring to go for more first time magic in Lausanne.
FIBA